Writer, Filmmaker, Mother, Grandmother
The day of the viva finally came and I am delighted to say that on Wednesday the 12th of November I passed! The viva, held by the examination committee at the University of Stirling, was robust and intense. I have some amendments to make, but to say I'm pleased to have passed is an understatement.… Continue reading Viva voce!
I guess it seems quiet on the PhD thesis front, but it isn't. As you'll know from my last update, I have submitted my thesis, and this is where another chapter begins (if that makes sense!). Given my Viva Voce is really close now, presumably my examination committee are reading, or have read my thesis,… Continue reading It’s all been leading to this…
This beautiful book, edited by Fiona Skillen, Helena Byrne and Gary James, was published by Peter Lang and launched at the Irish Embassy in London this month (September 2025). I'm thrilled to have written a chapter in the collection, writing about documentary films I have made with my company purpleTV, which feature women in football.… Continue reading Histories of Women’s Football in Britain and Ireland
The Sideline podcast and Glasgow City FC are hosting a special screening of my 2020 Royal Television Society award winning film, The Women Who Built Glasgow City. I'm thrilled about this as the premiere screening scheduled to take place at the Everyman Cinema in Glasgow (pre BBC ALBA transmission) had to be cancelled because of… Continue reading The Women Who Built Glasgow City
It's been a while since I've posted a wee update on my thesis progress, but I have a very good reason. I've been busy, writing, and as of yesterday (20th March) I completed a full draft of my thesis. I'm going to pause and take a wee moment to appreciate this. The last 18 months… Continue reading On the road
This is PhD chat, but because my PhD thesis is autoethnographical, it is also entwined in the personal by both circumstance and design. In my last update about my writing journey, I spoke about how I wanted to be able to finish my last draft chapter before Christmas, in the hope of spending the first… Continue reading PhD draft. Breathe in, not out.
I'm now four months into my PhD at Stirling (you can read more about my research here). It has passed quickly and it has been a challenging and rewarding time. For the first couple of months of my PhD, my mum was seriously ill in hospital. I tried to visit her every weekday - expect… Continue reading PhD life.
I had a lovely conversation with the fabulous team at the Football Makes Glasgow podcast recently, talking about writing novels, working in football broadcasting and making my documentaries, focusing on those featuring football icons such as Rose Reilly, Tommy Burns, Jock Stein and Jimmy Johnstone. Thanks to Lindsay Hamilton from Glasgow Football Tours for inviting… Continue reading Football Makes Glasgow
Today marks 15 years since former Celtic player and manager, Tommy Burns, died. He was just 51 years old. He was an incredible man who loved his family, his Catholic faith and Celtic intensely. He also had a deep affection for Kilmarnock too! I knew Tommy as a work colleague and he was incredibly fun,… Continue reading The ‘Tommy Burns’ Times
It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to speak about my Cold War Hockey film on Connie McLaughlin's Morning show on BBC Radio Scotland, alongside Scotland player Jenna Park. There's a link to the sequence here. Jenna and I are interviewed from around 2:20:00 to 2:30:00. Cold War Hockey aired on BBC ALBA last… Continue reading Radio and TV
Margot McCuaig 